UPDATE, 6-3-2017: In an interview with The Verge (via Screencrush), Blomkamp basically confirms Scott’s assertion, saying, “I think it’s totally dead, yes…I think that if the circumstances were different, and I didn’t feel like I was getting too close to something that he obviously feels a massive personal connection to, that things that may have played out differently. But I did want to be as respectful as possible.”

PREVIOUSLY: As they say in the Alien films, “In space, no one can hear you scream.” But we’re screaming on the inside right now, because it looks like director Neill Blomkamp’s highly anticipated take on Alien 5 is never going to happen. And that’s the latest word coming from the original Alien director, Ridley Scott.

While speaking with the French site Allocine in support of the upcoming prequel, Alien: Covenant, Scott seemed to indicate that Blomkamp’s Alien 5 never made it very far into development before Scott’s plans came to the forefront of the franchise. AVP Galaxy posted an English translation of Scott’s remarks, which attributed these quotes to the director: “I think [Blomkamp’s film] will never see the light… There was never a scenario, just an idea that evolved into a pitch of ten pages. I had to participate as a producer but it did not go any further because [20th Century] Fox decided that [they] did not want to do it. I had already done Prometheus and worked on Covenant.”

However, Yahoo! Movies UK pointed out some inconsistencies between what Scott said and Sigourney Weaver‘s remakes at San Diego Comic-Con International last summer. While appearing at the con, Weaver praised Blomkamp’s completed script for Alien 5 and said that it would give fans everything that wanted from the franchise. If Blomkamp’s take had gone forward, it would have ignored the events of Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection and brought back Weaver and Michael Biehn in a direct sequel to James Cameron’s Aliens.

Honestly, we don’t see why Scott’s Alien prequels couldn’t co-exist with Blomkamp’s sequel. There is always the risk of too many spinoff movies, but we think that there’s still a desire to see the original Ripley and Hicks back on the big screen. There aren’t going to be many additional chances for that to happen, so there’s no better time than the present to chart the future of the franchise with two of the icons who helped make it so memorable.

Do you think that Fox should still pursue Blomkamp’s Alien 5? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: 20th Century Fox